Apps you need for Canada Day, eh?

Every July 1st folks across Canada show their Canuck patriotism by adorning their best red and whites while waving, wearing proudly and even tattooing the Maple Leaf, symbol of the Great White North on various parts of their bodies. So if you’re going that far, why not take along your iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch or all of the above because for Canada Day, there are lots of apps for that!

Canada Day Themed Apps

First up,Official Canada Day, by Purple Forge. Take the day and share what you feel defines Canada and see what others think. Answer whether you prefer Honey Dip or Walnut Crunch or whether the choice is just too darned difficult for the average hoser. Use the app to find out the latest Canada Day news and even send your own themed postcard.

Ever wonder “How Canadian Are You?” Could you pass the Citizenship and Immigration test? This official app aptly named, by Jennifer Savage, will test your knowledge of Canadian trivia by taking a stab at 20 randomly selected skill-testing questions copyrighted by Citizen and Immigration Canada from a compilation of over 120.

If you have the opportunity to celebrate Canada Day in the Capital, this app, by the National Capital Commission, complete with a new interface, is the official guide to the festivities in Ottawa and neighboring Gatineau featuring all the events listings by site for this special day! And don’t bother wasting time looking for parking. Take transit and let BusBuddy Ottawaby My Appatory help you navigate. This app gives you real-time bus arrival times using GPS data. Stop times will show the scheduled and GPS time, give bike rack indicators and a street view of a bus stop, business locations or the current location of a particular bus.

If you happen to be 3300km away from Ottawa at the home of the Calgary Stampede, the City of Calgary Canada Day app offers events, check-ins, post cards, maps, news and more from around town whether you’re at the Olympic Plaza, having a picnic at Prince’s Island Park or hanging around the city. It’s also available in French, Portuguese & Spanish.

Out and About Town

These apps are not only great for Canada Day, but for anytime you need to get around town regardless as to whether you’re a visitor or a local.

For iPad only, Visit Vancouver,by Tourism Vancouver is a brand new app,whether you’relooking for a great hotel, place to eat or a fun activity to try. This app’s got everything you need including stunning photos, videos, and even offers you help making your way to and from Vancouver by car and local transit systems.

MTL mobile ($2.99) is the quickest and easiest way to help you get around Montreal. For just a few bucks you get over 20 different transit schedules. No Wi-Fi? No problem, everything is off-line, so it’s fast, too! Get updates when you do have a connection.

Once you get to the heart of Ville-Marie where the city was founded, experience history with the Old Montreal Guide, by Os communications informatiques. It features complete lists of all attractions, restaurants, hotels and more. View these attractions using the guide’s geolocalisations services. As well, you can plan your routes and build your daily itinerary to maximize your visit.

We can’t forget the home of another kind of Maple Leafs – Toronto. See Toronto – Official Visitors Guide by Tourism Toronto is designed to help you with your visit to Toronto, Mississauga and Brampton. It gets you the inside scoop on Canada’s largest metropolis. It’s broken down by categories to help you find what you need whether you are a Foodie, Fashionista or simply a First-Timer. Bundle that with blogTOby Freshdaily and you’re on your way. This app for iPhone and iPad only, gets you TO’s “Greatest Hits” or “Best Of” lists for thousands of restaurants and shops. It includes maps, locations and even phone numbers.

Staying Closer to Home

If you are the less adventurous type when it comes to getting around and prefer to stay closer to home or maybe you want to indulge in a beverage or two, but not drive – there are apps for that, too!

If you are at least 17 years old, you can download Martha Stewart Cocktails for iPhone/iPod Touch ($0.99) by Callaway Digital Arts. Mix, stir, blend and muddle with this refreshing, perfectly portable and beautifully designed guide to Martha’s favourite cocktails. If you act now you’ll also get a FREE Holiday Cocktails recipe pack which includes 20 festival concoctions and 5 bar snacks, too!

For more mouthwatering food ideas, 700 of them from President’s Choice chefs, get Recipe Box for iPad by Loblaws Inc. Each one features stunning food photography and easy-to-follow steps so you’ll surely find something to make your guests’ taste buds happy over Canada Day or anytime, really!

Now this next one is not an app, but it does come with one. Jambox Wireless Speaker by Jawbone ($199.95) is a compact Bluetooth enabled wireless speaker which can stream your favourite tunes from your iOS or any other Bluetooth compatible device without a dock or clutter of cables and cords. Just put in on your picnic table and rock!

If you want to make your own party tunes and if you haven’t already done so, now’s a great time to check out Apple GarageBand. For 5 bucks, why not gather your friends and family and make your own, using a full collection of Touch instruments and a full-featured recording studio. Don’t concern yourself with the people next door, invite them over! Rock the neighbourhood then post it on Facebook and YouTube!

All apps notes above are free and will run on the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch unless otherwise noted.

Just a Sample

This is just a smidgeon of the plethora of the Great Canadian Apps available. In fact there’s a full page on the App Store dedicated to just this – where you will find everything from cool games to great navigational tools and shopping apps and even favourites like FlipBoard to create your own social news magazine!

Tell Us!

Have a favorite Canadian App? Tell us about it by leaving a comment below and if you have a link, include it!